----The below blog entry came from http://www.dustinstarr.com/. For a guy that is still young to this business, he has a good head on his shoulders. Yea, I know, this is coming from a guy that put more self promoting stuff on his website than anyone I know. As I have said before about Dustin - there is a line that is blurred when it comes to him working and shooting. I would also like to point something out about this article - Dustin gets it!! There are so many wrestling writers covering this story that have no idea what they are talking about. It is going to be good for the sport. I have discussed this with a few of the guys from this area and others - you will have to know how to WORK now - the LOOK is not going to get you anywhere. Or you got to have a great gimmick!!
A Bad Week for Wrestling
The title of this blog is an understatement, to say the least. I'm sure the majority of you haven't even heard the news... but it's breaking day by day. The media is jumping all over the professional wrestling business because of it's Wellness Policy, or lack thereof. This week, there have been more than 10 WWE wrestlers suspended for either breaking the policy or being linked to the recent drug bust of an online pharmacy out of Orlando, Florida.
Now, I don't want to get into any names or even get into the WWE's Wellness Policy that they currently have. I just want to discuss what the wrestling business has been through so far with the drug abuse and I would definitely like to give my opinion on what's really going on in the world of sports entertainment.
This drug bust could possibly be the best thing that ever happened to the wrestling business. Now, with that said, I understand the following: a few wrestlers have already lost their jobs due to this bust; more wrestlers will lose their jobs because of this bust; the wrestling business will be under even more scrutiny than ever because of this. I know all this, but I still say that the wrestling business will be better off. Don't get me wrong... I don't want to see ANYONE lose their job. There are only a handful of companies you can wrestle for and actually MAKE money! So, a job in the wrestling business that actually pays... it's a tough job to lose.
Wrestling will be better off after being exposed as a steroid infested business for the mere fact that the guys won't have to literally kill themselves to earn or keep a position within a business they truly love. I have known guys to give everything that they possibly have for this business. Wives lost... cars repossessed... families torn apart... gone into bankruptcy to try and make it in a business they're damn good at. But guess what? They just weren't "big enough" for the "big time". So guess what happens next? Whatever it takes.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think steroids kill wrestlers. I think other drugs kill wrestlers. A mixture of steroids, cocaine, pain killers and alcohol kills most wrestlers. Just like a rock star's life... maybe minus the steroid use. But if you mix all those habits together and leave out the steroids, wouldn't you think that's a recipe for disaster, anyway? I do.
You know what really hits home about this recent bust of Signature Pharmacy out of Orlando, Florida? I know or have met many of the guys involved. I may not be best of friends with these guys... but I've been around them and have spent time with them in one way or another. These guys are all very nice gentlemen who are just trying to stay ahead of the curve. They're just trying to make a living in the wrestling business long enough to make a nest-egg and get out. Some of them, wrestling is ALL they know. What comes after wrestling? Who knows?
Some of them have no idea what comes next in their lives. Some wrestlers that were released in the past (several years ago) literally thought their lives were over after losing their jobs with a major company. They either drank themselves to death or just overdosed on drugs. This is serious, folks.
Here is my summary of the current state of the world of wrestling: The business will not only survive this mess, but it will be better and stronger because of it. Maybe wrestlers won't have to worry about how big they are or how strong they are. I know many wrestlers that deserve a shot at the "big time" but will never have a chance because they're too small. But maybe... just maybe they'll get that shot they deserve, now. I'm looking forward to another shot, too.
----A final note. In one of his other blog entries Starr said, "I used to sit back and watch the old-school wrestlers move around. I would actually make fun of some of them for always being in pain. Of course, age was the punchline in most of the jokes. Now, after seven years in the business, I can see that age might not have very much to do with it. I wrestle maybe 150 days out of the year. " First, if you ever seen me get out of a car and start walking you would think I was a 100. And that is coming from a guy that only managed for about 5 years, but I did bump to the concrete floor almost every show. And, second, 150 days a year?? Come'on Dustin quit trying to work us!!
